Edward Teller - Ulam's calculations showed faults in our approach to the Hydrogen bomb (103/147)

To listen to more of Edward Teller’s stories, go to the playlist: • Edward Teller (Scientist)
Hungarian-American physicist, Edward Teller (1908-2003), helped to develop the atomic bomb and provided the theoretical framework for the hydrogen bomb. He remained a staunch advocate of nuclear power, calling for the development of advanced thermonuclear weapons. [Listener: John H. Nuckolls]
TRANSCRIPT: What happened was that then, in early 1950, we had been planning a number of tests for the next year, for the spring of 1951. Everybody agreed that for that test series we should gather as much information as ever possible, and I, having planned to go back to Chicago in the summer of 1950, I now made up my mind. There was a possibility of the hydrogen bomb. I was at least going to stay another year. We planned, we calculated, and among the calculations a job done by one of my colleagues, Stan Ulam, was particularly important. There had been calculations about the planned hydrogen bomb which were, I have to admit, superficial. Ulam and his collaborators did not have a good a computing machine available, they did things by hand, and Ulam's collaborators did a very good job and found difficulties. In fact in their formulation which I don't think was really quite as definite as it should have been. But in their formulation our plans just wouldn't work.

[@heinrichmuller7974]

if your watching this i'd _highly_ recommend watching the documentary _"Trinity and Beyond"_ which not only has some of those most amazing bomb detonation footage but great interviews with distinguished people like mr teller here.

[@gigabyte2324]

What a brilliant man.

[@buckhorncortez]

Except he was intrinsically lazy and wasn't very good at math which is why he missed the calculations that Ulam made to prove the bomb wouldn't work as Teller envisioned. If you want a more involved explanation, you'll find it in the book, "Adventures of a Mathematician," by Stan Ulam.

[@gigabyte2324]

@@buckhorncortez I don't believe "a lazy quality" makes any difference to a man's intelligence. But thankyou for the reference material. It definitely has me intrigued.

[@darkwood777]

@@buckhorncortez I met Edward Teller late in his life, and he came across as highly industrious and hard-working.

[@Graun]

@@buckhorncortez Except he was intrinsically lazy and wasn't very good at math. If you say it it must be true, right? Moron!

[@gb-jg1ud]

He was a good dreamer and acceptable manager. He kept the project alive but did not do the work or make the critical breakthroughs that made it happen

[@aghowrath]

Martian Genius a la Hungary..unparalleled intelligence and acumen..Dr Strangelove himself

[@kcb5989]

Well that can also be John von Neumann

[@toaster1971]

Dr. Edward Teller.

[@drticktock4011]

Nope! Ulam was the pioneer! ET is so full of himself.

[@bernhardhorlezeder8394]

in september 11, 2001 the new hydrogen bomb was used under WTC 1,2 and 7.....ulam

[@TheCorrectionist1984]

Please take your medicine today

[@Evan_Bell]

What an idiotic and misinformed thing to say.

[@missano3856]

You vastly underestimate the yield of even a small fission device, much less fusion.

[@SilverSpoon_]

you are the opposite of intelligence.

[@bernhardhorlezeder8394]

@@SilverSpoon_ true, It was a uran fission bomb. DI Heinz Pommer.